First Week of Lent Reflection
Sr. Mary Luke Jones, OSB
Gospel
At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert
to be tempted by the devil.
He fasted for forty days and forty nights,
and afterwards he was hungry.
The tempter approached and said to him,
“If you are the Son of God,
command that these stones become loaves of bread.”
He said in reply,
“It is written:
One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth
from the mouth of God.”
Then the devil took him to the holy city,
and made him stand on the parapet of the temple,
and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.
For it is written:
He will command his angels concerning you
and with their hands they will support you,
lest you dash your foot against a stone.”
Jesus answered him,
“Again it is written,
You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”
Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain,
and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence,
and he said to him, ""All these I shall give to you,
if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.”
At this, Jesus said to him,
“Get away, Satan!
It is written:
The Lord, your God, shall you worship
and him alone shall you serve.”
Then the devil left him and, behold,
angels came and ministered to him.
Is it any wonder we are sometimes tempted, when even Jesus was enticed by the devil? Recognizing a weak spot---Jesus had fasted for 40 days---the first temptation has to do with satisfying hunger. But not really. The devil wanted Jesus to prove he was the Son of God by performing a miracle. Turn these stones into bread and I’ll believe you are who you say you are.
The second temptation has to do with leadership. Will those who believe in you come to your rescue should you fall? In this case, even the devil was quoting Scripture. Can you believe it? “It is written,” says Satan, “God will command the angels concerning you.”
Temptation number three is power. Look at all I can give you. The magnificence of the world…all its people, all its lands, all its structures, all its treasures…it can all be yours. Just give yourself—your very soul---to me.
We read of Jesus’ strong come backs. In quoting Scripture, he remains firm in spite of the devil’s allurements. It all looks pretty easy but he is Jesus, after all.
Essentially, through the three temptations Jesus is telling us he is who he says he is.
I guess this Gospel is chosen for the first Sunday of Lent to remind us that temptations will arise, but with help, they can be averted. Earlier this week, we committed ourselves to 40 days of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. You can be sure you will be tempted to fudge on any…or all…of the three between now and Easter. Being tempted and giving in to temptation are two different things. Human beings are weak but we are also strong. Lent is the time to test that theory.
Turning to Scripture, drinking some water rather than eating that tasty morsal, giving for someone else’s sake when I really want to take are signs of strength. What I wrote on my bona opera* is actually telling God who I am. My temptations are nothing like the ones Jesus endured but they are challenging enough. The question before me now is “am I who I say I am?”
*Benedict instructs his followers to submit their Lenten resolutions (good works/bona opera) to the abbot/prioress so that it is done with his/her blessing and approval. For whatever is done without the permission of the spiritual leader will be counted as presumption and vainglory, not reward.